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The Screenwriting program, a two-year Master of Fine Arts degree in Film and Television, encourages students to concentrate upon the challenge of writing a well-structured story inhabited by vivid, compelling characters. The elements of character, dialogue, scene, setting, texture, style and tone are explored through an intensive workshop process.

"The great misconception among new and untested writers is that screenwriting is easy," says screenwriter and Lecturer Emeritus Hal Ackerman, the former co-head of the UCLA TFT Screenwriting Program. "Trust me, it's harder than it looks. The beauty of a great artist, like a great athlete, is the ability to make something amazingly difficult and complex look easy."

Screenplay writing is a rigorous craft and, at its best, an art. In UCLA TFT's Screenwriting Program students learn all the key elements of creating scripts for feature film and television, including story structure, plot, scene development, characterization and dialogue. The goal is to prepare students to turn their stories into screenplays. A series of writing assignments guides them toward mastering the basics, which are used to conceptualize and begin work on their scripts.

I. MFA: Film and Television, Area: Screenwriting (See sections I to V for all requirements)

II. Summary:

The Screenwriting Program has the following time-to-degree requirement: a minimum of six quarters; maximum of 10 quarters. The minimum total units required to graduate is 72 units (18 courses). Maintenance of a B average GPA.

III. Courses:

A. Required Courses:

First-Year Curriculum

C430 SCREENWRITING FUNDAMENTALS

431 INTRODUCTION TO FILM AND TELEVISION SCREENWRITING

Second-Year Curriculum

434 ADVANCED SCREENWRITING

B. FTVDM Required Courses:

Students must take a minimum of TWO graduate-level Cinema & Media Studies courses.

Please see list below for approved course numbers and titles.

Please note that not all courses are offered every quarter. Students should consult the registrar's schedule for available courses and class times. For courses in the 298 series, students should consult the graduate advisor first to check whether a course fulfills the CMS requirement.

Plus choose one course below:

203 FILM AND OTHER ARTS

204 VISUAL ANALYSIS

206A EUROPEAN FILM HISTORY

206B SELECTED TOPICS IN AMERICAN FILM HISTORY

206C AMERICAN FILM HISTORY**

207 EXPERIMENTAL FILM

209A DOCUMENTARY FILM

208B CLASSICAL FILM THEORY **

208C CONTEMPORARY FILM THEORY

209B FICTIONAL FILM

209D ANIMATED FILM

217 SELECTED TOPICS IN TELEVISION HISTORY **

217A AMERICAN TELEVISION HISTORY**

218 CULTURE, MEDIA AND SOCIETY

219 FILM AND SOCIETY

220 TELEVISION AND SOCIETY

221 FILM AUTHORS

222 FILM GENRES

223 VISUAL PERCEPTION

224 COMPUTER APPLICATIONS FOR FILM STUDY

225 VIDEOGAME THEORY

246 ELECTRONIC CULTURE

270 FILM CRITICISM

271 TELEVISION CRITICISM

276 NON WESTERN FILM

277 NARRATIVE STUDIES

298AB SPECIAL STUDIES (select classes must see Graduate Counselor)

**These courses are sometimes taught as a core course for M.A. students and may not be available that particular quarter for MFA students.

** courses are sometimes taught as a core course for MA students and may not be available that particular quarter to MFA students.

C. MFA Course Requirement:

Students have to take a minimum of ONE graduate-level course from the Directing/Production, Animation, and/or Producers Program area. Please see attached list for approved course numbers and titles.

A minimum of four feature length screenplays must be completed while enrolled in FTV 434 before advancing to candidacy. This writing is accepted as a body of work for the Masters Thesis requirement and must be approved by the Candidate's Thesis Chair.

All MFA programs in Film, Television, & Digital Media are Full-Time programs. The Department admits new students only once each year for the Fall Quarter.

We Do Not Accept Films, DVDs, or CDs.

Applicants must submit all required application materials to be considered for admission.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

English Proficiency: Any international applicant whose first language is not English must certify proficiency in English when applying to UCLA, and, if admitted, upon arrival. Such applicants must submit scores received on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) as part of their application. The UCLA Code is 4837 and the Department Code is 2409. Only test scores taken by December 31, 2016 will be accepted. For more information about this requirement, visit https://grad.ucla.edu/admissions/english-requirements/. International applicants who have received a Bachelor’s degree from an American institution are not required to take the TOEFL.

Academic Records: Although the UCLA Graduate Division Application enables applicants to upload an unofficial copy of their academic records, all applicants are required to submit official records from each academic institution attended. For more information about this requirement, visit https://grad.ucla.edu/admissions/required-academic-records/.

Undergrad Degree Requirement: Applicants must complete equivalent to a 4 year US Bachelor’s Degree. International students who hold three-year ordinary pass degrees, or who hold professional diplomas in accounting, business, librarianship, social work, physical education, health education and so on, or four-year degrees, diplomas or higher certificates from technical, vocational or post-secondary specialized schools are NOT eligible for graduate admission. For Academic Requirements by Country or Educational System, visit: https://grad.ucla.edu/admissions/required-academic-records/.

Proof of Funding for Visa: U.S. immigration law requires that international applicants, if admitted, show documented evidence that sufficient funds to cover all tuition, fees, transportation, and living expenses are available for the first year of their studies at UCLA. This must be proven before a Certificate of Eligibility (I-20 or DS2019) for a visa can be issued. For more information about this requirement, visit https://grad.ucla.edu/admissions/visa-procedures/ .

FAFSA

For U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents interested in receiving financial aid in the 2017-2018 year, note that the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) deadline for UCLA is March 2, 2017. Applicants must complete the FAFSA by this date if they want to be eligible for all awards, work-study, and scholarships that UCLA offers. If applying after March 2, please check with the Financial Aid Office for available funding opportunities. www.financialaid.ucla.edu

DREAM Act

For non-US Citizens or non-Permanent Residents who are approved to pay in-state tuition because they graduated from a high school in California; they will need to complete the California DREAM application by the March 2, 2017 deadline. The DREAM application can be accessed at https://dream.csac.ca.gov. If applying after March 2, please check with the Financial Aid Office for available funding opportunities. www.financialaid.ucla.edu